\subsection{Board Weights}
\label{sec:boardweight}

\begin{figure}[htp]
\centering
\label{fig:butil}
\begin{tabular}{c|c|c|c|c|c|c|c}
\textcolor{red}{50} & -1 & 5 & 2 & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
\textcolor{red}{-1} & \textcolor{red}{-10} & 1 & 1 & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
\textcolor{red}{5}  & \textcolor{red}{1} & \textcolor{red}{1} & 1 & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
\textcolor{red}{2}  & \textcolor{red}{1} & \textcolor{red}{1} & 0 & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - \\ \hline
- & - & - & - & - & - & - & - \\
\end{tabular}
\caption{Value weights for each position of an Othello board.  Note that the entire board can be represented with just the numbers in red using symmetry.}
\end{figure}

For a given game state all the discs on the board have same value in the current score.  However, not all board locations have equivalent value in the final score as some discs may be flipped to the opposing player.  Thus capturing board locations on the ends are more useful than those in the middle.  In Figure 3 we show a particular arrangement of weights or utility for each square on the Othello board adapted from \cite{mandt}.
All the locations in corners have the highest utility because once a corner is captured it can't be taken back.  Additionally the corner works as an anchor to capture other locations along the edge.  Thus corners are  very important and consequently they have the greatest utility among all other positions.  Locations adjacent to corners have negative utility because they give the opponent an opportunity to take the corner.Locations along the edge, but not adjacent to the corner, are important from a strategic point of view.  Having a disc in these locations allows a player to work toward a corner as their opponent may be forced to play along the edge opening the corner.  This specific strategy does not exist in this player, but is partially recognized in the mobility and stability players of Sections~\ref{sec:mobility} and~\ref{sec:stability}, respectively.This heuristic is an improvement on greedy which considered all locations equal.  However it is shortsighted in that it does not consider how to make moves which create opportunities for the higher valued locations.  This is partially embedded with the edge weighting, but an intelligent player can force a player with this heuristic to choose from a set of constantly bad moves.  It is possible this heuristic is best in combination with another heuristic which can use these location weights to break ties between what are equivalent moves. Additionally, scores assigned to board positions may be questionable to few people.  It may be better to update value of pit utilities, as player becomes more and more aware of true utility through the process of learning and as a game progresses.